Brandywine, MD - The state of Maryland is facing a federal civil rights complaint over approval of a gas-fired power plant in Brandywine. Earthjustice said the state is required under Title VI to consider whether there would be an "unjustified and unequal" impact on the basis of race.

Neal Gormley, senior associate attorney with Earthjustice, said that law was violated.

"The Maryland agencies that decided that this plant should be built are putting a bunch of pollution sources into a community that's 75 percent black, while whiter communities get cleaner air," he said.

The power plant would be built by Mattawoman Energy, which bills it as a clean natural-gas plant that would power hundreds of thousands of homes. The complaint was filed with the offices of civil rights at the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Gormley said residents weren't adequately informed about plans to build the 990-megawatt plant.

"There are multiple power plants, all being planned to be built simultaneously in this community, for a total of five large fossil-fuel-fired power plants in the area of this one town," he added. "So people in the local community were confused, to be honest, as anyone would be, and couldn't really keep track of all these different projects."

The complaint was filed on behalf of Brandywine TB Coalition and Patuxent RiverKeeper.

Gormley said they're worried about pollution, traffic, depressed property values and health.

"Prince George's County already has unhealthy air," he added. "It violates national standards for ozone pollution, ground-level ozone, which is well understood to contribute to asthma, other respiratory problems and even premature death."

One in six black children has asthma, the highest of any racial group in the United States. The Maryland Department of Health said African-Americans in the state are nearly 2.5 times more likely to die from asthma.



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BELCOURT, N.D. -- Renewable-energy advocates in North Dakota are hoping for more federal support to advance projects, after a key meeting with a Biden cabinet member this month.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm took part in a roundtable discussion last week, hosted by the governor, who along with fossil-fuel leaders promoted practices such as carbon storage in adapting fuel technology.

Other stakeholders pushed for more focus on helping North Dakota pursue avenues such as wind, solar and geothermal heating.

Wes Davis, director of facilities and sustainability at Turtle Mountain Community College, wants more federal resources to educate tribal communities about clean energy infrastructure.

"If we're able to develop curriculum to train these people at tribal colleges, then we can create trades," Davis explained.

He pointed out the approach could create more economic opportunities and sustainability in tribal communities. The meeting coincided with the Department of Energy announcing $20 million to help certain states advance carbon capture and storage.

The University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center will share in the money, but clean-energy advocates argued the approach is too costly and won't be as effective in reducing harmful emissions.

Meanwhile, other groups attending Granholm's visit said regulators should set a tone to make it harder for larger wind and solar companies to swoop into North Dakota, set up shop and reap the benefits.

Jim Kambeitz, owner of Lightspring Solar, said local companies want to make a difference, but don't have an edge.

"I mean, who has $26 million in tax liability that they can just write off?" Kambeitz observed. "It's very hard to compete on that high corporate level. There should be something that levels the playing field."

When it comes to solar opportunities, Kambeitz feels there is a lot of room for growth in North Dakota.

"North Dakota is ranked 12th to 13th in the most amount of sunlight hours of all 50 states," Kambeitz noted.

According to industry rankings, North Dakota routinely falls near the bottom in solar output.

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Proposals in Congress's
Build Back Better plan could speed up and lower the cost of electrifying people's homes.

The budget-reconciliation package currently in front of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. aims to take major climate action. The current plan includes $18 billion in rebates to help people afford electric appliances and fund energy-saving retrofits in their homes.

Melinda Hughes, executive director of the Thurston Climate Action Team in Olympia, acknowledged the changes needed to make infrastructure more climate-friendly are costly.

"To do the retrofits and weatherization that's needed, just in Thurston County alone, we're looking at probably a need of $2 billion, which of course isn't easy to come up with," Hughes admitted. "The federal funding, when it comes through, is a pretty sizable amount."

Lawmakers are currently debating the budget reconciliation package. Opponents say the price tag for the bill, which exceeds $3.5 trillion, is too expensive.

Up to $9 billion dollars in the bill would go to rebates for home electrification, with $5.8 billion dedicated to households with low to moderate incomes.

Mark Kresowik, federal and international policy manager of the carbon-free buildings program for the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit pushing for clean energy, said rebates in the bill reach up to $14,000 to electrify appliances such as heat pumps.

Kresowik noted many low- to moderate-income families have gas infrastructure in their homes right now.

"Twenty-six million households burning fossil fuels inside their homes right now," Kresowik pointed out. "Burning gas and other fossil fuels at your home causes tremendous health problems, it's contributing to climate disruption, and it's costing families far more money than they need to be paying for energy."

Kresowik believes there are many upsides to electrifying appliances in the home.

"These superior electric appliances like heat pumps and induction stoves can lower costs, save lives, increase jobs and provide more comfortable, affordable homes for everyone," Kresowik asserted.

Another component of the bill dedicates $20 billion to electrification, efficiency and health and safety repairs in the affordable and multifamily housing sectors.

DETROIT -- It is National Drive Electric Week, and electric vehicle (EV) advocates and utility companies are working to help get residents and the electrical grid that serves them ready for the rapidly-changing transportation market.

The Big Three auto manufacturers in Detroit; Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, have set a goal for 40% to 50% of their sales to be EVs by 2030.

Jeff Myrom, director of electric vehicle programs for the utility company Consumers Energy, said EVs have major environmental benefits, from reducing greenhouse gases to particulate matter from exhaust, which can affect people with asthma and other respiratory issues.

"Approximately in a year of owning your car, the average person, that electric vehicle has a smaller carbon footprint than a petroleum-fueled vehicle," Myrom explained. "And, of course, every year beyond that of driving just increases that environmental benefit."

This Saturday in Muskegon, the Farmers Market is hosting an electric car show. Myrom noted Consumers Energy will be there if people have questions about home EV charger rebates, or incentives for charging at home during off-peak hours.

The new Bring Your Own Charger program gives credits to Consumers Energy customers who charge their vehicles overnight between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Myrom added EVs take a lot of energy to reach full charge.

"At night, when there's much less electricity being used, the wires and the transformers around your house are, of course, still there," Myrom pointed out. "And they've got a lot more capacity on them than they would in the middle of the day."

He cautioned an increase in energy demand from more people charging vehicles at home could overwhelm the grid and require utilities to make upgrades. So, by charging during off-peak hours, they can keep electricity flowing with fewer upgrades, which saves utility customers' money.